I have to give credit where credit is due.  I heard that greeting on HGTV (although I forget which one of their hosts said it) and thought it was hilarious!!  Happy Holidays to all!!

It has been way too long since my last post so I’ll have to do a couple for catch up.  First the biggest news by far here at RealKidz is that we closed our first round of funding!!  Wow!!  And we managed to do it in the worst markets in decades!  I can’t even express how thankful I am.  The angels who funded me are angels in every sense of the word.  (For anyone who doesn’t know, there are people out there called high networth individuals who are willing to take a HUGE risk and fund start ups and these people are called angel investors.)

 You might have noticed a few changes to the website.  There will be more of those as we put this money to use making the website easier for our customers and more useful on the backend for us at corporate.  There also will be more information coming out on the website about the exciting developments for our style consultant network.

We have brought on a professional direct selling firm to help us get EVERYTHING ready to go for our style consultants and WOW have they been amazing!!  We’ve got training materials, an AWESOME compensation structure, and a Pilot Program to get us ready for the official launch of the consultant network.

 One of the fun parts of running a fashion business is, of course, creating the fashion!!  We’re hard at work on the Spring 2009 line.  The colors will be bright and fun, the fabric is awesome and we’re working with a phenomenal manufacturer right here in Michigan.

 Well, like, Michael Feldman on NPR says, “That’s all the news that isn’t!”

That’s what running a start up is all about, right?? I just have been talking to fellow entrepreneur friends who are going through the same kinds of issues I am…close to a big deal that can save the day and close to being out of business. How do we live like this??? Most people have some amount of respect for entrepreneurs but it takes living through this to really understand what it means to be able think on your feet, turn on a dime, and pray to the various gods of luck, commerce, and charity.

All that said, I would like to share that I am excited about where we are and scared to death at the same time. Getting up and going has been the typical roller coaster ride you would suspect of a start up.  We’re constantly working to move this boat forward sometimes with an oar and sometimes with the boost of a powerful engine.  We’re excited about our test market line and that it’s beginning to see some traction in the marketplace.  Meanwhile, we’ll keep working on adding new styles to the line. We plan to have the fun, trendy additions ready for the Christmas selling season in October.

We’re going ahead and getting ready for our style consultants to start selling as well. We’re working on getting to the point where we can implement the help of some wonderful business partners who will help us put the whole infrastructure in place.  In the meantime, we’re making sure that the ladies who become our leaders will be rewarded for the importance they will have to our fledgling company.

I have to give a shout out to my Director of Distribution Development, Laura Hamblin, who is one of the most dedicated and creative women I know. She has been a rock for me to lean on over these past few weeks as all the craziness has unfolded and I can’t even begin to descirbe what she has meant to me!!!

Finally, make sure you check out the online store with its phenomenal pictures and the new lower introductory pricing. If you live close to Ypsilanti, feel free to stop by the storefront in Depot Town to visit, see the clothing and take something home.

Well, thanks for joining me as I walk, live, breathe, and sleep on the razor’s edge.

Just thought I’d take a moment while I’m sitting here nursing my son with the flu to give an update on where we are.  I’m ording all the materials this week for the clothing (fabric, elastic, labels, bags).  They should be to the manufacturer next week and then it’ll be three weeks and we’ll actually have clothing for sale!  This is scary exciting! 

I was very happy with the results of the size samples.  The size samples are where you make up the clothing in a selection of sizes (smallest, largest, middle) to make sure the grading (changing the pattern into the different sizes) is accurate.  I’m confident our sizing will be great for above average girls.  I can’t wait until we can start working on the sizing models for our plus size girls.

 We’re still moving forward with fundraising.  We are having conversations with several angel/funding groups and high net-worth individuals.  I am excited about their interest and am doing my best to convey the value of this investment.  This investment will allow us to offer a broader line of clothing and sizing sooner and therefore reach more people.  It will also enable us to start building the social network for parents.  This process takes awhile; so while we’re moving steadfastly through it, we’re continuing in our mission to bring this test market line to our girls.

 I’ll be sending out the email in a couple of weeks with the ship date for the clothing and turn on the ordering function at the website. Yippee!

Wow! It’s December and I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by! November was a crazy hectic (but exciting) month and I have been remiss in keeping this ole blog updated.

I’ve been working on sourcing the fabric for the clothing line. This has been the hardest part of getting the clothing line started. I am so stressed about making sure the fabric is the right kind and of top quality. I’ve had to take a crash course on not only sourcing fabric (which is a bit of a mystery in and of itself) but also on properties and qualities of textiles. Needless to say it’s been interesting! This process has taken me to New York’s Garment District and to the Art Institute in Chicago so I’m becoming well traveled.

Scott and I have also been busy giving presentations to groups of investors in order to secure funding to give us the security we need to keep this baby running. It has gone well and we’re excited about the people we’re speaking with who are interested in investing. I feel incredibly blessed by our potential investors so I’m hoping that the whole due diligence process goes smoothly and well and the deal can be wrapped up soon!!

Our web developer has completed the design for our online store and the backend admin portion. I’m more excited than ever to fill it out with clothing and launch that portion of the website.

We’re also gearing up for a presentation to a local research hospital in the area for a potential relationship on the social network. It’s extremely important to me to have research based information to provide for our families and this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase a phenomenal local institution.

Well, I’ve gotta go order some fabric now!!

Keep it Real!!

Merrill